how to plug in my ground probe?...

[peckhead]

the grounding probe i got was from my lfs. it is a coralife titanium. the part that i plug in has 3 prongs. 2 of them are plastic. im guessing i just plug it in like anything else. but there is a little put of metal that comes out by the plug? does that just hang down or do i have to hook something up to it? thanks

 

[f14peter]

If the unit is plugged into the top recepticle of a standard outlet, does the metal tab line up with the screw holding the outlet cover in place?
No electrician by any means (And would be happy to defer to anyone with more expertise), but I believe the screw can act as a path for the ground.

 

[psusocr1]

make sure you have a GFCI outlet before you user that or you will regret it

 

[peckhead]

yes installed a gfci yesterday
also when i plug it in should i plug it into the gfci or the power strip or does it not matter...

 

[gwh57]

Originally Posted by peckhead
yes installed a gfci yesterday
also when i plug it in should i plug it into the gfci or the power strip or does it not matter...
If you plug your gfci into the wall and then your power strip into the gfci then everything on the power strip is protected. If you plug the power strip into the wall and the gfci into the power strip then only what you have on the gfci is protected.

 

[peckhead]

ok
so what do i do with teh little hanging metal circle? take the screw out and put it in the circle and screw it back in? do i need to turn the power off?
my gfci isnt a plug, its teh actual outlet...

 

[moneyman]

Originally Posted by peckhead
ok
so what do i do with teh little hanging metal circle? take the screw out and put it in the circle and screw it back in? do i need to turn the power off?
my gfci isnt a plug, its teh actual outlet...
The hanging eyelet is used if you dont have an extra outlet to plug in your 1-metal prong. You can just leave the eyelet alone or screw it to the outlet.

 

[peckhead]

so i really dont even need to do anything with it? i can plug it into the gfci outlet that i installed into the wall and let the little metal piece hang?
and im curious as to why everyone says not to plug a ground probe into a outlet that isnt gfci? even though its not the case i am jsut curious....

 

[larryndana]

Originally Posted by psusocr1
make sure you have a GFCI outlet before you user that or you will regret it
this is a dumb question, why....?

 

[moneyman]

Originally Posted by peckhead
so i really dont even need to do anything with it? i can plug it into the gfci outlet that i installed into the wall and let the little metal piece hang?
and im curious as to why everyone says not to plug a ground probe into a outlet that isnt gfci? even though its not the case i am jsut curious....
Just let it hang.
You can plug the GP anywhere that is an electrical path to ground. You can even screw it to a cold-water pipe if that pleases you.
When using a GP, make sure ALL your electrical equipments (pumps, heater, lights, etc.) are connected to a GFCI. You don't have to plug for GP into a GFCI.

 

[peckhead]

Originally Posted by MoneyMan
Just let it hang.
You can plug the GP anywhere that is an electrical path to ground. You can even screw it to a cold-water pipe if that pleases you.
When using a GP, make sure ALL your electrical equipments (pumps, heater, lights, etc.) are connected to a GFCI. You don't have to plug for GP into a GFCI.

im still confused.
so i can just plug it into the power stripe that is on a gfci?

 

[peckhead]

and not do anything with the part that hangs off?

 

[moneyman]

Originally Posted by peckhead
and not do anything with the part that hangs off?
Yes. You can plug your GP to a power strip that is plugged into a GFCI. And, leave your eyelet alone.

 

[mojo46825]

you can plug it into the power strip as long as its a 3 preong strip. Most are. But some of your cheaper strips only have two prongs on there plug and only allow for two prong plugs to be plugged in. You will be fine plugging in the ground rod into your strip. The hanging thing you wont need to hook up since you have a grounded outlet.

 

[scsinet]

Agreed... the metal tab on the plug is just a secondary measure. You can connect the grounding probe to any grounded outlet and you will be fine. Make sure that nothing has had it's grounding prong removed or anything.
And for Larry and Dana, the reasons are numerous, but long story short is that a grounding probe and a GFI work together nicely. A GFI is designed to cut off the power when a fault that can cause a very dangerous situation when a grounding probe is used occurs. I won't bore you with one of my usual diatribes on the subject, but ANY time electricity and water are used together, a GFI should be employed, whether you have a grounding probe or not.

 

[wattsupdoc]

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/261840/electricity-and-your-aqaurium
GFCI
Ground Fault Circuit Interupter. This is a device used to prevent electrocution mainly from accidental contact with electricity, used primarily around sources of water.What this does is it looks for the signs of currwent conecting between either two of the wires used to complete the circuit and the GROUND wire. It does this in a fashion where it can usaully tell if something is shorting out. It is made primarilly to save you're life.It works similarly to the AFCI but does not do the same thing and should not be confused for an AFCI.
As stated in this post...because it may save you're life.